You Don't Have to be Alone
by Kuroneko-sama07
Summary: Raven/OC There's this girl that's been traveling with Van and the gang for a while but she suddenly falls for Raven! Will he ever love her back? R&R plz! ^_^ Rated R for language and future lemon
1. Chapter 1

You Don't Have to be Alone  
  
By: Pretty Kitty Rated: R  
  
A/N: Ok, I've had this fic in my head for a long time now and it is getting on my nerves! So I just had to type it up! Cuz or else, it might never leave me alone!! lol  
  
Summary: There's this girl(original character) that's been traveling with Van and the gang for a while and she suddenly falls for Raven! Will he ever truly love her back? You'll have to read this fic to find out! ^^ Also, ya know that episode(i don't remember the name) in the Guardian Force saga? It's the one where we first see Raven in Guardian Force saga and he looks all messed up, ya know? U know, he had like this weird look on his face and his hand was all cut up and bloody? Ya know? *no one knows what she's talking about* ^^;;; Well this fic is like my version of that ep and the time after that ep.^_^ Anyway, it's rated R cuz of future lemon and bad language. Yes, I said lemon. So beware. Little kids, leave now.(lol) And well, this fic does have Raven in it so there's gotta be some bad language!^^  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own Zoids Chaotic Century BUT I do own my original character, Sara. Don't use her in your fics unless you have my permission!! Now, on with the story...  
  
**************************************************** *Flashback*  
  
Sara was standing near the edge of a cliff, looking down into the valleys. She was traveling with Van, Fiona, Irvine, Moonbay, and of course, Zeke. They were down in the village but she had decided to explore the mountains by herself.  
  
She wanted to see further down into the valleys so she walked closer the the edge. She didn't notice a good-size stone in her walking path, and as she was walking, the rock tripped her.  
  
She quickly tried to stop herself from falling, but she couldn't and she lost her balance.  
  
She braced herself for the impact of gravity jerking her towards the ground below. But to her suprise, something stopped her. Or maybe, someone...  
  
She felt a strong arm around her waist and realized someone had saved her. She turned around to see who her life-saver was and it was the person she had least suspected it would be!  
  
"Raven?!" she yelled in pure shock.  
  
She stood up straight, he removed his arm from around her, and they both backed away from the edge.  
  
She was speechless. And Raven being Raven, didn't say anything. She tried to say something but words just wouldn't come out.  
  
Finally, she was able to speak. "Wha-what are you doing here?"  
  
"What are you doing here? I thought you were with Van," he replied in his same ol' harsh tone.  
  
"Yes, I'm still traveling with him but I was just taking a walk through these mountains. Now back to my question-what are you doing here?"  
  
"Maybe I was just doing the same thing you were."  
  
"Well, I'm glad you showed up when you did. Or else, well...you know. So thank you...you saved my life," she said.  
  
"It's not like I wanted to, but I couldn't just stand here and watch you fall off a cliff and die," he replied bitterly.  
  
That remark didn't take Sara by suprise, though. She expected something like that from Raven.  
  
"Well, I'm going to go now," she replied as she turned around and started walking off. "Thank you again, Raven."  
  
"Wait," said Raven.  
  
She turned to look at him.  
  
"What's your name?"  
  
"Sara," she said with a small smile. Then she continued walking off.  
  
*End Flashback*  
  
That was a year ago. Sara remembered that time very well. She thought about it often. And for some reason, every time she remembered Raven, her heart would race and she would blush.  
  
Sara was 18 years old. She was a fairly good height, about 5'5", and she was thin. She had long, brown hair that came down to her waist. The weird thing was that even though she had a dark hair color, her eyes were crystal blue.  
  
She had white skin but she did have a slight tan, so she wasn't pale white.  
  
She was standing alone outside of the buidling. There was a party going on inside but she wanted to be alone for a little while. You know, so she could just think.  
  
She didn't come out here to think about Raven, though. He just somehow always came to mind.  
  
She kept thinking about Raven and the fact that she obviously felt something toward him. But what?  
  
Finally, she realized the truth...she loved him. It was that simple. But loving Raven could pose a problem...  
  
~Just my luck~she thought. ~Only I would fall in love with someone that would never love me back~  
  
Sara was just the opposite of Raven. They had nothing in common. Sara was sweet, quiet, and innocent.(but she did have a little spunk in her) While Raven was cruel, vicious, and emotionless.  
  
Just then, Van walked out to where she was.  
  
"Sara? What are you doing out here?" he asked.  
  
"Oh nothing. Just thinking," she replied.  
  
Van stood beside her. "What are you thinking about?"  
  
"Nothing really. Actually, I am thinking about something important. Can I tell you?"  
  
"Of course! You can tell me anything," he said.  
  
"Well, you have to promise not to freak out, okay?"  
  
"Ok, I won't freak out. I promise," he reassured her.  
  
"Alright. I think I have feelings for...Raven," she said.  
  
"Raven?! How can you have feelings for Raven?!"  
  
"You promised not to freak out!" she said.  
  
"Oh, I'm sorry but it's a little shocking," said Van.  
  
"Well, I don't know why...but I just feel that I do love him. I know that sounds stupid but it's true. I can't stop thinking about him," she said.  
  
"Yeah but how could you just fall in love with Raven? Have you ever even talked to him?"  
  
"For your information, yes I have. You weren't there. He actually saved my life."  
  
"Are you serious?"  
  
"Yes," she said. Then she starting relating that event to Van. He was suprised Raven had saved her.  
  
"Huh. Well whaddya know, maybe Raven has a good side after all." Van thought about what he just said and replied,"But it's doubtful."  
  
There was silence for a minute or two until finally Van broke the silence.  
  
"Listen, you might love Raven but I really don't know if he'll love you back. Raven doesn't care about anyone. I mean, 9 times out of 10, he's not going to give a flip about you."  
  
"I know. But maybe there's still a chance. I really want to be with him..." said Sara.  
  
"Yeah, I know you do, but I just doubt that Raven's going to care. Besides, even if you do end up with him, he's probably not going to treat you good."  
  
"You're probably right," she said. "Oh, why do I have to fall in love with someone like him?"  
  
"Well, sometimes we can't help it. We just have feelings for people. But may I ask what attracts you to Raven?"  
  
She thought for a minute before saying, "I don't know...there's just something about him."  
  
"Well, I'm gonna go back inside and let you finish thinking about it. Before I go, I want to tell you something," he said in a serious tone. "Please, don't get your hopes up about Raven loving you back. Because it's really doubtful. I mean, there is a slight chance, but understand that it's not likely."  
  
"Yes, I understand."  
  
Van walked off and went back inside. Sara was, once again, alone.  
  
Alone.  
  
She was always alone. ~Maybe I just think I love Raven because I just want to be with someone...~she thought. She thought about that idea for a minute, but in the end, it proved in vein. She really did love him, no matter how strange and impossible it seemed.  
  
**The Next Day**  
  
Van slammed open the door of the little house they were staying in.  
  
"Hey Fiona! Sara! I've got some important news!!" he yelled.  
  
"Van, calm down. You don't have to yell, we're right here," said Fiona.  
  
"Oh, sorry..."Van replied sheepishly. "But this is really important!"  
  
"What is it?" asked Sara.  
  
"Well, there's some news going around about a mysterious Zoid destroying villages and killing alot of people," he said.  
  
Fiona gasped. "Oh no...Van...you don't think it's..."  
  
"Yeah, I have a feeling it's him..."  
  
"Who?" Sara asked, completely elude to what they were talking about.  
  
"It sounds like...Raven," replied Van. "I can't believe he's back at his old tricks again."  
  
Fiona looked worried. "Oh Van, what are we going to do? We have to stop him, but how? If I know Raven, he's probably a stronger Zoid pilot than he was back then."  
  
"Yeah that's true. But Fiona, you must be forgetting that I'm alot stronger, too!"  
  
"Raven..." Sara whispered to herself. Neither Van nor Fiona heard her say that and in a way, she was glad.  
  
She didn't know what to think about this. If you think about it, this bad situation could go good...  
  
~I'm being selfish~ she thought. ~He's out there destroying towns and killing people, but I'm happy just because I might get to see him! That's very selfish...but I can't help it. I want to see him so bad~  
  
**The Next Day**  
  
"Van, where are you going?" asked Fiona. It looked like Van was getting ready to leave.  
  
"I'm going to meet Thomas. Someone said they spotted a Geno Saurer in the distance heading toward the Imperial base."  
  
"Oh no...It's him," replied Fiona with a worried tone.  
  
"Yep, sounds like Raven. Thomas and I are gonna load up in our Zoids and get ready because he's due to arrive here anytime. If we're not ready, Raven will destroy the whole base so we have to be there," replied Van.  
  
"Well, Sara and I are going to go to the communication tower so we'll be able to communicate with you and Thomas in your Zoids. You know, you might need our help in case something happens."  
  
"Alright, but you two be careful. I'll see ya later," he said as he started walking toward the door. Just as he opened the door to walk out, Fiona stopped him.  
  
"Van," she said.  
  
He turned back around to look at her. "Yeah?"  
  
"Please...be careful," she said with concern. Then she smiled and said, "Good luck."  
  
Van smiled back at her. "Thanks, Fiona." Then he walked out and shut the door behind him.  
  
"Sara!" called Fiona.  
  
"Yeah? What is it?"  
  
"Come on, we have to go to the communication tower. Raven's going to arrive here soon and Van and Thomas are getting ready to battle him."  
  
"Raven's almost here?" asked Sara.  
  
"Yes, unfortunately," Fiona replied. "But come on, let's go."  
  
"Ok, I'm coming."  
  
When they arrived at the communication tower, Fiona found the area where Van and Thomas were and put them on the camera screen. She also turned on the camera screen that filmed the area around the base. She did that so she could watch out for Raven.  
  
Several minutes passed.  
  
The wait for Raven was driving Sara crazy. She wished he would just hurry up and get here and stop taking his sweet time.  
  
It was making her nervous. She even found herself a few times pacing back and forth across the room.  
  
Finally, Fiona noticed something coming on one of the camera screens.  
  
"Sara! Come here! Quick!"  
  
"What is it?" Sara asked anxiously.  
  
Fiona pointed at the object that was coming closer. "Is that a Zoid?"  
  
Sara studied it for a minute before saying, "Yeah, it looks like it. Do you think it's Raven?"  
  
"I have a feeling it is...I better tell Van."  
  
Fiona flipped a switch that turned on the mic that lead to Van and Thomas' Zoids.  
  
"Van! Thomas! Sara and I spotted something coming closer to the Imperial base. We think it's Raven."  
  
"Are you sure it's a Zoid?" asked Van.  
  
"I'm not completely sure but it looks like it," replied Fiona.  
  
"Thomas!" Van yelled to Thomas. "Did you hear that?"  
  
"Yeah, I got it." Thomas said.  
  
Just then, they heard a gun shot and saw a small building go up in flames.  
  
"What the hell was that?" said Sara who had heard the impact.  
  
"Damn! He's here!" yelled Van.  
  
"What a way to make an entrance!" exclaimed Thomas.  
  
"That's Raven for ya. Come on, Thomas, let's go!" said Van as they both took off in the direction of that burning building.  
  
People all over the base were running around franticaly, trying to escape and get somewhere safe.  
  
The Imperial army soldiers started getting in their Zoids. They thought they were under attack. Little did they know, it was only one Zoid.  
  
Van and Thomas started attacking Raven but he instantly put Thomas and his D-Bison out of comission.  
  
"Thomas!" Van yelled as he watched his friend in the D-Bison being thrown to the ground like a toy.  
  
"Grr...Raven!" yelled Van as he started to attack Raven again.  
  
There was something weird about Raven this time. Van couldn't put his finger on it, though. Finally, he realized what was missing. Raven hadn't even said anything to him yet. Usually he starts talking smack but this time, he hadn't even opened his mouth!  
  
~Something isn't right...~ thought Van. ~It's not like Raven to not even say anything to me.~  
  
Then, as they kept fighting, Van noticed something else. Some of Raven's attacks were way off. At first, Van thought it was just an accident but it's happened too much. Something was definitely not right. There was no doubt in Van's mind that something was up.  
  
Back at the communication tower, Sara and Fiona noticed something different about Raven, too.  
  
Then Van came on over the speaker.  
  
"Hey, Fiona," he said. "Something's up with Raven. I don't know what but something's wrong."  
  
"Yeah, we've noticed. Are you sure it's really Raven?" Fiona asked.  
  
"Well, I'm not really sure. I think it is, but I don't know. I've tried to talk to him but he won't say anything."  
  
Just then, Raven did something really strange. He aimed one of his cannons up at the sky and just started firing. He kept on firing until he had no more ammo.  
  
"Ok, what the hell was that about?" Van said kind of to himself but Fiona and Sara heard him.  
  
"I have no idea..." replied Fiona.  
  
"Oh my god, what is the matter with Raven?" Sara asked worriedly.  
  
Raven opened the top of the pilot cockpit and just stared at Van. Van did the same and stood up to get a better look at Raven.  
  
"Fiona! Sara! You might want to get down here; something is definitely not right with Raven. He looks bad, he might need some help," said Van.  
  
"But Van, do you really want to help-" Fiona couldn't even finish her sentence because Sara yelled Raven's name and took off running.  
  
"Wait! Sara!" yelled Fiona in a futile attempt to stop her.  
  
~Please don't let there be anything wrong with him...~ Sara thought to herself as she ran. But if something really was wrong, she was determined to help Raven...even if he was the enemy. *********************************************************************** Ok well, does this fic sound like a good idea? Actually, I do really want to write this because I have awesome plans for stuff to happen in future chapters. ^_^ So even though this first chapter well...sucked, don't get used to that! Cuz I promise the next chaps will be kick ass chapters! ^_~ 


	2. Chapter 2

You Don't Have to be Alone  
  
By Pretty Kitty  
  
A/N: Ok, I'm back with Chapter 2! Woo-hoo! XD Hope ya like, plz review! ^^ Oh yeah, and I realized that in my first chap I spelled Genosaur wrong. _;; Sorry bout that! I spelled it right this time.^^  
  
***********************************************************************  
  
Chapter 2: Seeming Almost Hopeless...  
  
When Sara finally made it to where Van and Raven were, she found out from Van that Raven still hadn't said anything.  
  
"Look at him," said Van. "He's not right."  
  
"Van...I'm worried," she replied.  
  
Just then, Raven slowly climbed out of his Zoid and just stood there in front of it; all the while never taking his eyes off of Van.  
  
Sara's heart was pounding in her chest, so loud that she wanted to run away because she thought everyone could hear it. The weird thing is she didn't even know why it was beating like it was, but maybe it was because Raven was right there in front of her.  
  
She couldn't stand being this close to him and not even do anything. Just stand there. She didn't know what to do.  
  
Raven still didn't stop staring at Van; he probably hadn't even notice Sara.  
  
A couple minutes of silence passed, but then something happened. Just for a few seconds, Raven took his eyes off of Van and looked at Sara.  
  
Sara couldn't hold it in anymore. She wanted so bad to just run over there and embrace Raven and never let go. But she just wasn't sure...  
  
Finally, she decided it was now or never. She had to do something; she couldn't stand it anymore. She ran over to Raven and Van tried to stop her but it was too late. She already had her arms around Raven.  
  
She had expected him to push her away or something, but to her suprise, he didn't do anything. He didn't move at all; he just stood there...like a statue.  
  
She looked up at him and found that he was looking down at her. He had a weird look on his face, though. He seemed so...distant. Like his body was there but his mind was in another world entirely. His eyes were faded over and he looked so emotionless. He didn't even look real.  
  
Even though she didn't like to see him when he looked like that, she looked deeper into his eyes. They were like a bottomless pit or empty pools of lavender.  
  
Lavender...that was the first time she had noticed the color of his eyes. It was a strange color...  
  
She continued to look into his eyes and she noticed something. She noticed a hint of...sadness? Yes, that had to be it. He looked almost...depressed.  
  
Suddenly, she felt sorry for Raven. Sympathy? For Raven? What a joke this was turning out to be...  
  
Sara couldn't stand looking at him anymore, it mad her too sad so she turned her head away to avoid his emotionless glare. But she did gather up enough courage to rest her head on his shoulder and to her suprise, he didn't do anything. He still just stood there.  
  
Sara could feel his eyes on her, though. She knew he was looking at her. And after a little while, it started driving her crazy. If there was anything Raven was good at, it was driving her crazy.  
  
She just kept seeing his face. That look on his face. She hated it. It made her feel sad and mad at the same time.  
  
She looked back up at him. He was still looking at her. For some reason, tears started rolling down her cheeks. She tried to stop them, but failed.  
  
It made her angry. Why wouldn't he stop looking at her? She started to hit her fists against his chest, but of course that had no effect on him what- so-ever.  
  
"Stop!" she finally said. "Damnit! Stop looking at me like that!"  
  
She continued to hit her fists against his chest and telling him to stop. He grabbed her by the wrists, which made her stop hitting him but she still continued to cry.  
  
She looked back up at him and noticed that he wasn't looking at her anymore. But something was wrong. His eyes were wide open and then they started rolling into the back of his head. His knees gave way and he fell forward, but thankfully Sara caught him in her arms.  
  
"Van!" she yelled. But there was no need for that, he was already running up beside her.  
  
"We have to help him, Van. I know he's your enemy and you probably don't want to help him, but I do," she said firmly.  
  
"You're right. Come on, let's get him inside somewhere," said Van as they both started to lift him up and carry him off.  
  
**8 Hours Later**  
  
Raven slowly opened his eyes. He stared up at the fan overhead. That's when he realized something--where the hell was he?  
  
He was lying in a bed in some room he had never seen before. He turned his head and saw a girl sitting a desk. She must have heard him move because she quickly stood up and turned around.  
  
"Oh, you're awake," she said.  
  
She looked fimiliar to Raven. Where had he seen her before? Finally, he remembered.  
  
"I know you," he said with no emotion at all in his voice. "You're that girl that I saved." He paused before continuing. "Sara."  
  
"Yeah, that's me," she said as she tried to form a smile.  
  
"Where am I? What are you doing here? What happened?" he demanded as he quickly sat up in bed.  
  
"Be careful," said Sara.  
  
"I'm fine," he snapped.  
  
"Oh, sorry. But you mean, you don't remember anything?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Well, we're at the Imperial army base. I'm here because I travel with Van and Fiona and this is where we have been staying. What happened was that you came over here in your Genosaur and started fighting Van. Something was wrong with you, though, but you seem okay now. You had this weird look on your face but then I don't know what happened. You just fainted. You've been unconscience for about 8 hours," she said.  
  
"8 hours? What time is it?" he asked.  
  
"11 o'clock."  
  
"At night?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Damn," he said. "But what are you doing in here with me?"  
  
"Well, I was just watching you and waiting for you to wake up," she replied.  
  
"Why did you help me?"  
  
"I wanted to." She went over and sat down on the edge of the bed beside him.  
  
"I don't understand you. You're friends with Van and I'm Van's enemy but yet, you still help me."  
  
"What did you want me to do? Just leave you there, lying unconscience on the ground? Besides, I owe you."  
  
"Well, you don't owe me anymore so now we're even," he said.  
  
"Yeah, you're right."  
  
There was an awkward silence for a few minutes but finally Sara broke it. "Raven?"  
  
"What?"  
  
"There's something I need to tell you," she said.  
  
He didn't say anything but waited for her to continue.  
  
"I...I..." she couldn't say it.  
  
"Spit it out," he said rather harshly.  
  
"I...I love you." There! She said it!  
  
"You what?"  
  
"You heard me. Just what I said. Please don't make me say it again," she pleaded.  
  
There was silence again. Then, Raven chuckled to himself. "You love me? That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard."  
  
"I know it sounds stupid but it's true."  
  
"How the hell can you love me? I don't love you, you know." He said.  
  
"I know. I didn't expect you to," she said quietly.  
  
"I'm leaving," he said with an almost disgusted tone.  
  
"Wait! Where are you going?" she asked.  
  
"That's none of your business," he said as he stood up. He was still a little dizzy though, but he hoped she didn't notice.  
  
"But you can't go. You're not completely well yet. You need to stay here and rest," she said.  
  
"Do not tell me what I need!"  
  
She didn't say anything after that but that remark was bringing tears to her eyes. She tried to hold them in, but she couldn't. She didn't want to cry for fear that Raven would think she was weak.  
  
Raven must have noticed her teary, misty eyes because he added a snide remark.  
  
"Oh, did I hurt your feelings? Don't cry..." he said; sarcasm dripping in his voice.  
  
Her bottom lip quivered. "I'm not crying," she said with a shaky voice.  
  
He walked closer to her. She tried to back away from him but he just kept moving closer. He knew he was intimidating her, but he didn't mind at all.  
  
Sara slowly walked backwards, trying to escape his glare, but found she couldn't anymore. The reason was because of the wall behind her; she was cornered now.  
  
He stood right in front of her and looked into her face.  
  
"Oh really...you're not crying? Well, your eyes are all watery. Looks like tears to me," he said cruelly.  
  
She didn't respond. Well, what could she say? He was right.  
  
He edged his face closer to hers to where their faces were only inches apart, and he placed his hands against the wall. Now he really had her cornered.  
  
Raven was starting to scare Sara. She wished he would just leave, but she knew he wasn't going to right now. He was apparently enjoying himself.  
  
A single tear rolled down her cheek. Raven saw it, but it did something to him on the inside. The image of her crying was almost stabbing him, and he had no idea why.  
  
He tried to brush that thought away by continuing to frighten her.  
  
"I can't believe you're crying. You know, only weaklings cry," he said harshly. "So apparently...you're weak. You're just a weak, pathetic girl," he said with a smirk.  
  
There was silence for a minute or two but it seemed like hours to Sara. Raven hadn't said anything after that, he just stared at her with the same emotionless glare.  
  
But then, something really unexpected happened. Neither Raven nor Sara had expected anything like this to happen...but it did. They don't even know how or why it happened.  
  
In one quick movement, Raven firmly placed his lips on hers. At first, Sara was shocked and didn't know whether she should kiss him back, but finally she gave into the kiss.  
  
His kiss was deep and firm but gentle at the same time. He moved his arms to where they were around her thin waist. She fit nicely in his arms; so well it was almost as if she belonged there.  
  
She slowly, kind of unsurely, placed her arms around his neck. The kiss actually started heating up a bit when Raven held her more tightly and began running his fingers up and down her spine. He immediately broke the kiss, although, when a question hit him--what the hell was he doing?  
  
He couldn't believe he had just done that. He shouldn't have done that. Why did he do that? What was he thinking? What provoked him to do such a thing? All these questions were racing through his mind.  
  
But then he remembered her telling him that he was not completely well yet. ~Of course, that has to be it.~ he thought. ~Since I just woke up from being unconscience for 8 hours, I'm probably still out of it.~  
  
"I'm really messed up, apparently," he said.  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"I think I actually should have listened to you when you said I hadn't fully recovered yet," he replied.  
  
She didn't say anything but had a confused look on your face.  
  
"Don't you see? I'm still out of it! Why else would I have done that? So don't think that meant anything because it didn't. It was a complete accident and mistake."  
  
Sara was smarter than that. Even though she wasn't about to open her mouth, she knew that it meant something. She could feel it. But it was probably pointless to try to get Raven out of denial.  
  
She sighed deeply. Her attempt to win Raven's heart was becoming more and more hopeless by each passing second. She didn't even know if there was a way anymore...  
  
***********************************************************************  
  
Did you like it?? I think this chapter came out pretty good. ^_^ Well, as usual, review! But no flames plz! ^^ Chapter 3 will be up soon! ^_^ 


	3. Chapter 3

You Don't Have to be Alone  
  
Chapter 3  
  
A/N: Chapter 3! Yay! This chappie is actually pretty good. Well, at least I think so.^^ There's not much Raven/Sara in this one though. Also, this chapter features the song "I'm With You" by Avril Lavigne. OK well...enjoy! ^______^  
  
(Note-just thought I'd let ya know that I decided to stop naming the chapters cuz I can't think of any good names. And the names for the other chaps suck. XD Ok so that's why none of the chapters have a name anymore.^^)  
  
***********************************************************************  
  
Sara was too caught up in her thoughts to notice that Raven was heading toward the door. Finally, she snapped out of it.  
  
"Wait!" she said. "You can't leave!"  
  
"Watch me."  
  
"But it's 11:15 at night."  
  
"And?"  
  
"And...it's too late for you to be wandering around outside," she said.  
  
"I'll be fine. Why do you keep worrying about me?" he asked.  
  
"I don't know. I just...I care," she replied quietly.  
  
He paused a minute before saying, "Well, stop."  
  
She didn't reply and for a minute, they were both silent.  
  
"Look, I'm leaving," said Raven as he walked to the door.  
  
"Fine," she said. She realized she couldn't stop him. "But...will I ever see you again?"  
  
"Probably. I'll be around. And as long as your traveling with Van, there's a big chance you'll run into me again. Whether that's a good or bad thing, I guess is up to you," he said. He walked out the door and closed it behind him.  
  
She was a little bit sad that he left but in her heart, she knew she would see him again.  
  
~Ok, so this day did NOT go as planned...but I did get to kiss him,~ she thought as she giggled and put a finger to her lips. Her cheeks turned pink just remembering the kiss.  
  
She remembered that it was pretty late and decided to go to bed. She didn't feel like leaving the spare room and going into her own so she decided to just sleep there.  
  
~But I don't have my night clothes with me...~ she thought but then she yawned. ~Oh well, I'll just sleep in these clothes. *yawn* I'm too tired...~  
  
She climbed into that same bed Raven had rested in. His scent was everywhere. It wasn't a bad scent, though. It made her feel like he was there. It made her feel...comforted.  
  
That's how she felt around Raven. A sense of comfort. Yes, he was intimidating but at the same time, he was comforting. At least, that's how it felt to her, anyway.  
  
She quickly fell fast asleep and dreamed sweet dreams. Actually, one was a kinda retarded dream cuz it was about her meeting this weird guy(blah blah blah) and then there was this old lady jet skiing(blah blah blah) and...Huh? Oh, I'm rambling again, aren't I? Sorry bout dat! *ahem* Let's continue the story...^^;;;  
  
The bright sunshine shone through the window of the spare room and the rays of bright light were shining all over the bed on which Sara lay sleeping. The birds outside were chirping loudly and with all that light and noise, one could hardly sleep.  
  
Sara blinked her eyes open and rubbed the sleep away. She sat up in the bed and yawned as she stretched out her arms. She hopped out of bed and noticing that she was still wearing her clothes from yesterday, decided she better go to her room and change.  
  
When she got to her room, she opened her closet and started looking for something to wear. She finally decided on a blue jean mini skirt and a white, lacy shirt with sleeves that came to her elbows. The shirt was a bit low cut and it had a very wide neck so that Sara's shoulders were bare.  
  
Then, she started to comb her long hair, then parted her hair right down the middle of her head. She then braided the two segments of hair into two long braids. To finish it off, she pulled a few wisps of hair out around her forehead.  
  
After she applied a little make-up and put on her favorite bracelet and necklace, she was ready to go. She didn't bother to put on shoes, though, because she figured she wasn't going outside anytime soon so she could do that later.  
  
She exited the room and headed to the kitchen. She knew Fiona was probably in there cooking breakfast and she wanted to help.  
  
When she got there, sure enough, there was Fiona cooking up something.  
  
"Hey, Fiona," said Sara as she walked over to where Fiona was.  
  
"Good morning, Sara," Fiona said with a smile. "Did you sleep well?"  
  
Sara smiled. It was so like Fiona to ask something like that. "Yeah, I did, actually. Um...can I help you with anything?"  
  
"Yes, please, I would appreciate it if you did," she replied.  
  
They both continued to cook, but while they cooked, they talked.  
  
"So...," started Fiona, "Did Raven ever wake up?"  
  
"Yes, he did. And after he woke up, we talked for a little while. But he left right after we--Oh never mind! I mean, he just...left," stammered Sara.  
  
Fiona gave her a strange look. "What were you about to say?"  
  
"Nothing! I just got my tongue tied! That's all!"  
  
Fiona wasn't buying it and she noticed Sara was blushing. "Why are you blushing?"  
  
"No reason! I mean, I'm not blushing. I'm just kind of hot."  
  
"Sara, what happened? I know something happened and you better tell me," said Fiona, teasingly.  
  
"Alright, alright. I'll tell you. But you have to swear not to tell anyone. Not Van, not Moonbay, no one! Not even Zeke!"  
  
"OK, I promise."  
  
"OK, well, he...he kissed me," said Sara.  
  
Fiona's jaw dropped in shock. "What?! Raven kissed you?!"  
  
Sara clamped Fiona's mouth shut. "Shh!! Be queit; someone could hear you!"  
  
"Oh sorry," said Fiona with a giggle. "OK, I want details. Spill."  
  
"OK, well, he started being really mean and saying I was pathetic and stuff. He kept walking toward me but I kept walking back until I couldn't walk back anymore because of the wall. I was kind of scared then but he got closer and closer. Then, all of a sudden, he kissed me."  
  
"Well, how was the kiss?"  
  
"It was...nice," she said with a giggle. Both Fiona and Sara were a giggling mess right about now. They couldn't stop giggling and laughing and Sara face was as red as a tomato.  
  
"I can't believe he did that!" squealed Fiona as she hugged Sara.  
  
"I know!" Sara said and they laughed some more.  
  
They didn't know it, but Van had stopped at the kitchen door right when they were hugging and laughing. When he saw them, though, he just kept on walking.  
  
"Chicks," he said as he shook his head.  
  
***Later On...***  
  
Sara looked at the clock on the wall. 6:30pm. She was bored. She decided to go for a walk.  
  
She went and slipped her shoes on, then exited the small building. She didn't want to take a walk around the Imperial army base so she decided to leave the base. The guards knew who she was so they would let her back in.  
  
She walked on for a while until she spotted a small stream and a bridge that went over it. She sat down on the side of the bridge and pulled of her shoes. Then, she let her feet dangle in the water below.  
  
A little while later, she noticed that the sun was starting to set. She also noticed that small raindrops were landing on her. A few minutes later, the rain starting coming down. It wasn't raining hard, thankfully, but it was raining.  
  
For some reason, Sara didn't really care. She just let herself get wet.  
  
//I'm standing on a bridge I'm waiting in the dark I thought that you'd be here by now//  
  
She didn't know it but someone was coming near her. And she would be very suprised if she knew who it was.  
  
//There's nothing but the rain No footsteps on the ground I'm listening but there's no sound//  
  
She started getting a little cold. She knew she needed to get up and starting heading back, but how? It was getting dark, how could she see the way back to the base? Now, she wished she was back home.  
  
//Isn't anyone trying to find me? Won't somebody come take me home?//  
  
She noticed someone walking towards her. She turned to see who it was. When the person finally got close enough for her to see his face, she was suprised.  
  
"Raven?"  
  
He didn't say anything, but he sat down on the bridge beside her.  
  
"What are you doing here?" she asked.  
  
"See that cave over there?" he asked as he pointed it out.  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"I was planning on staying there for the night but then I saw you here. What are you doing all the way out here anyway?"  
  
"I was bored and decided to go for a walk. But I think I've stayed out here too long. I bet everyone's wondering where I am," she said.  
  
"Aren't you cold? I mean, you're all wet."  
  
Sara looked down at her shirt which was soaked so it clung to her body. "Yeah. Yeah, I am."  
  
//It's a damn cold night Trying to figure out this life Won't you take me by the hand Take me somewhere new I don't know who you are But I...I'm with you//  
  
They were both silent for a minute but Sara got an idea. She knew Raven probably wouldn't like it but she decided to take a chance.  
  
She slowly laid her head on his shoulder and to her suprise, he didn't push her away like she thought he would.  
  
//I'm looking for a place I'm searching for a face Is anybody here I know? Cause nothing's going right And everything's a mess And no one likes to be alone//  
  
That's how Sara felt earlier. Nothing was right and everything was a mess and she didn't want to be alone anymore. But then...he was there. There with her. And everything felt right.  
  
//Isn't anyone trying to find me? Won't somebody come take me home?//  
  
Sara started to shiver a little bit and to her suprise, he put his arm around her shoulders. It was getting colder, but she didn't want to move from this spot.  
  
//It's a damn cold night Trying to figure out this life Won't you take me by the hand Take me somewhere new I don't know who you are But I...I'm with you//  
  
She was with him. And that's all she needed. All she ever needed.  
  
"It's getting dark," he said as he stood up. "I'm going over to that cave."  
  
"Raven," she said.  
  
"What?"  
  
"May I stay with you in that cave tonight?"  
  
"Why don't you just go back home?"  
  
"Because it's dark and I can't see the way."  
  
He paused a minute. "Come on," he said with a slightly agrivated tone as he started walking off toward the cave.  
  
"Thank you," she said with a smile even though he had his back to her.  
  
When they arrived at the cave, they entered and looked around. It was pretty large and nothing seemed to be living there.  
  
"Stay here," said Raven. "I'll be back in a minute."  
  
"OK," she said. While she waited, she squeezed the water out of her braids.  
  
When Raven got back, he was carrying several small logs in his arms. He tossed them in a pile on the ground in the cave. He pulled a lighter out of his pocket and started a fire.  
  
"Hey Raven?"  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"My clothes are wet."  
  
"I've noticed."  
  
"Well, I can't sleep in wet clothes. I could get sick," she stated.  
  
"And what do you want me to do about it?" he asked.  
  
"Um...do you have anything I can wear to sleep in?"  
  
Raven cocked an eyebrow at her and rolled his eyes. "Yeah, I got something," he said as he started walking outside to his zoid. "You're alot of trouble, you know that?"  
  
Sara didn't reply, just giggled.  
  
When he came back, he had alot of cloth in his arms.  
  
"Here," he said as he tossed her two blankets. He threw the other two blankets on the other side of the fire, where he was sleeping.  
  
"And here's the only thing I have for you to sleep in," he said as he tossed her a cloak-like thing.  
  
"Thanks," she said. She spread out one of the blankets on the ground, threw the other one on top of that one, and was about to start taking off her shirt when she realized Raven was still there.  
  
"Do you mind?" she said.  
  
"What?"  
  
"I'm about to change! Turn around! You can't look!"  
  
Raven turned around so his back was facing her. "I don't want to look, anyway. What's there to see?" he said sarcasticly.  
  
"Raven!" she said, annoyed. She quickly took off her clothes and slipped on the cloak.  
  
"OK, you can turn around now," she said.  
  
Raven turned back around and spread out one of his blankets on the ground and wrapped the other one around his shoulders.  
  
Sara laid out her clothes on the ground by the fire so they could dry. Then she started to unravel her braids.  
  
"Raven?"  
  
"What?"  
  
"Once you said you hated zoids. Why?" she asked.  
  
"That's none of your business," he said.  
  
"Please tell me," she said. "I won't tell anyone."  
  
"No. Why do you want to know anyway?"  
  
"I'm just curious."  
  
"Have you ever heard of the saying curiosity killed the cat?"  
  
"Raven, please?" she pleaded.  
  
"Fine, I'll tell you. But as long as you leave me alone!"  
  
"OK," she said with a smile.  
  
"Alright, I hate zoids because a zoid killed my parents," he said.  
  
"That's sad. What kind of zoid was it?"  
  
"It was an organoid."  
  
"Really? Is the organoid still alive?"  
  
"Yeah. And we know who owns it."  
  
"Who?"  
  
"Hiltz. It's Ambient."  
  
(a/n: I don't know if we've been introduced to Hiltz at this point in the show and I also don't know for sure if it was Ambient that killed Raven's parents but some site said it was. So don't kill me if I'm wrong! lol)  
  
"Well, how did Hiltz end up with that organoid?" she asked.  
  
"I don't know."  
  
"Oh," she said.  
  
"How old were you when your parents were killed?" she asked.  
  
"I don't really remember but I think I was 8," he said.  
  
Sara laid down on the blanket and covered herself up with the other one. "I bet it was pretty hard on you to lose your parents at such a young age."  
  
Raven didn't reply.  
  
"Good night, Raven," said Sara as she closed her eyes. But then she opened them and looked at Raven.  
  
"Hey, wait a minute! What about my good-night kiss?" she said jokingly.  
  
"Don't push it."  
  
Sara just laughed a little. "I'm just joking! Good night." Then she closed her eyes once more.  
  
Raven stayed up for a little while, just thinking, but then he put out the fire and went to sleep.  
  
***********************************************************************  
  
I know that ending sucked! I couldn't think of anything else to write. lol ^^;; This chap was ok I think. And I'm so sorry it took me so long to get this chapter up!! Gomen!! ^^ I'll try to be more quick on putting up the next chap, k? ^_^ But here's a warning: do not trust my word. It could be months. ^^;;;;;;; lol! Nah, I'm just kidding. I'll be faster.^^ K, I've rambled long enough. Review plz! ^_~ 


	4. Chapter 4

You Don't Have to be Alone  
  
Chapter 4  
  
A/N: I told y'all I would be quicker with getting this chapter up! ^_~ Oh yeah, thank you, , for telling me that it was Shadow who actually killed Raven's parents. But I don't know really cuz lots of people say it was Shadow, lots of people say it was Ambient, and lots of people say it was just some unnamed organoid. But whatever organoid it was, it doesn't matter cuz it has no effect on my story anyway. ^_^ lol OK, well, enjoy!  
  
**Oh yeah, here's just something really cool that I wanted to share with you all. ^^ The other day, my sister and I were in Wal-Mart and I noticed this guy who looked like he was a teenager. I first only noticed him from behind and I thought his clothes kinda looked like Raven's cuz they were those baggy pants with boots and the shirt wasn't exactly like Raven's but it was kinda close. Anyway, then he turned around so I got to see his face and omg, it was the freakiest thing! He looked exactly like Raven!! The hair wasn't exactly the same but it was really close and his eyes looked just like Raven's. They were the same color and they looked kinda dead. The only thing was, he didn't have that red mark on his cheek like Raven does. But other than that, if there was a realistic Raven, it would be him! I sware, I was about to freak out in Wal-Mart! lol I called my sis over and she took one look at him and said, "Dang, he looks just like Raven!" LOL! It was soooo creepy! Creepy but cool! ^_~  
  
***********************************************************************  
  
**At the Imperial Army Base**  
  
"Van?" called Fiona who had just woken up a few minutes ago.  
  
"Yeah Fiona?"  
  
"Sara never came back last night," she said with concern. "Van, I'm worried. Where could she be?"  
  
"I think I know where she might be," he said with a smirk.  
  
"Where?"  
  
"Well...I have a feeling she's probably with Raven."  
  
"With Raven? Why would she be with him?" asked Fiona as she sat down on the couch.  
  
Van walked over, sat down beside her, and placed his arm around her shoulders. "Well, I don't know if you've noticed, but I think those two are starting to click."  
  
"Really? You think so?" Fiona asked, sounding a bit suprised.  
  
"Yeah, I think so," he said. Then he moved his hand over to hers and entwined his fingers with hers. This gesture made Fiona blush a little.  
  
"Van? Why are you holding my hand?" she asked.  
  
"Because I want to," he said with a small smile. "Is that ok with you?"  
  
"Yeah, it is," she said and she smiled back at him.  
  
**Meanwhile Back at the Cave**  
  
Sara woke up to the bright sun shining in her eyes once again. She immediately sat up when she saw that Raven had already woken up. She looked around the cave, but she didn't see him.  
  
~Where is he?~ she thought. ~I hope he didn't leave me.~ That thought worried her but she soon felt relieved when she saw his zoid and Shadow outside the cave.  
  
She walked outside and went over to Shadow. He seemed to be okay with her because he didn't act vicious around her.  
  
"Hey Shadow," she said. "Do you know where Raven is?"  
  
Just then, Raven walked up behind her.  
  
"Oh, Raven. Where were you?" she asked.  
  
"Nowhere, really. I've been up for a while waiting for you to wake up," he said.  
  
"Oh sorry," she said. "I guess I kind of over-slept."  
  
"So, are you going back today?"  
  
"Well, even though I really don't want to, yeah I guess. And I'm sure everybody is really worried about me."  
  
"Do you know the way back?" he asked.  
  
"Yeah, I do. So I guess after I get dressed, I'll go back home," she said, a little disappointedly that he didn't ask her to stay. ~Well, it's stupid to think he would ask me to stay anyway.~  
  
She walked inside the cave, but Raven stayed outside because he knew she was going to get dressed. When she came back out, she was wearing her clothes from yesterday, but from staying by the fire, they were now completely dry.  
  
"Raven," she started as she walked up to him, "thank you for letting me stay with you."  
  
Raven didn't respond; he was silent.  
  
"Well, I guess I'll go," she said as she started walking off. "I hope we see each other again. Well, good-bye!"  
  
"Yeah, bye."  
  
When she finally got back, everyone was very happy to see her.  
  
"Sara! We were so worried about you!" Fiona exclaimed. "Where have you been?"  
  
"Yeah, Sara, where have you been?" Van asked.  
  
"Well, you know, I went out walking, but I accidently went a little too far and stayed out too long, and before I knew it, it was getting dark. I didn't know how I would get back in the dark, but then I ran into Raven and he let me stay with him for the night," she explained.  
  
Van shot Fiona a quick glance that said "I told you so" when Sara mentioned the part about staying with Raven.  
  
"Well, were you ok with him? I mean, he didn't hurt you or anything, did he?" Fiona asked.  
  
"No, of course not," Sara replied.  
  
"Well, that's good," said Van. "Cause, you know, if he did, I would just have to kick his ass."  
  
"Van," said Fiona as she playfully hit him on the arm.  
  
"What? I would have to! I'm serious!"  
  
The two girls just started laughing. It was nice for Sara to be back there with Van and Fiona. Although, she missed Raven already...  
  
The next few days went by pretty fast and before Sara knew it, the week had already passed.  
  
One day the next week, Fiona and Sara decided to go for a walk to just talk about stuff. They talked about alot of stuff that really wasn't very important, but then Sara brought up an interesting topic.  
  
"Hey Fiona?" she asked.  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"Well, I've been noticing a little bit of something going on lately between you and Van and I'm just wondering--do you like him? I mean, like, more than a friend?"  
  
Fiona blushed a little. "Well...you know...kinda," she said as a smile started forming on her face.  
  
"Mm-hmm, I knew you did," replied Sara. "So...do you know if he feels the same about you?"  
  
"Well, I don't know for sure, but I kinda get the feeling he does." Fiona paused for a minute and then changed the subject. "Sara? What did you and Raven do together last week?"  
  
"Well, not much really," she said. "I just stayed the night with him in a cave. But we did talk."  
  
"About what?"  
  
"He told me why he hated Zoids."  
  
"Why does he?"  
  
"Well, I don't know if he would like it if you knew," said Sara.  
  
"But he doesn't have to know that I know," Fiona pointed out. "Please tell me. I won't tell anyone, I sware. Not Van, not even Zeke."  
  
Sara laughed a little. "Now you're going to have 2 secrets to keep," she said and then she told Fiona what Raven had told her.  
  
"Wow. I never would have guessed that something like that happened to him. That's kinda sad," said Fiona.  
  
"Yeah, I know. But let's don't feel sorry for him because I don't think he would like it if he knew we did."  
  
"That's true. Raven is not the type that likes people to sympathize him."  
  
"Understatement."  
  
The two girls kept on walking and talking for a few more minutes, but then the sun started to set and Fiona knew that she had to get back so she could cook dinner.  
  
"Sara, I need to be heading back," she said.  
  
"OK, you go on, but I think I'm gonna walk a little longer," said Sara.  
  
"Are you sure?"  
  
"Yeah. I kinda want to think about some stuff, you know?"  
  
"Yes, I know what you mean. But please come back soon because it's starting to get dark," said Fiona.  
  
"Oh, I will. I promise."  
  
"OK, well, see ya," Fiona said and then she turned and started walking back home.  
  
Sara walked on for a little while longer until she came to a really large boulder. It wasn't huge or anything, but it was the perfect size to sit on. So, she went and sat down on it to rest for a few minutes. It was getting dark and she knew she needed to be going back soon.  
  
~This is just like last time I went for a walk~ she thought. ~But this time, I really am going to go back.~  
  
A few minutes passed, and then Sara heard the sound of some sort of vehicle coming her way. She turned and looked behind her and there really was a vehicle coming. When it reached her, though, it stopped.  
  
"Hey there," said a guy who was driving it. There were two other guys--one in the passenger seat and the other in the back seat.  
  
"What's a girl like you doing all the way out her all alone?" he asked.  
  
"Um...do I know you?" said Sara.  
  
"No," said the guy, "but I'd really like to get to know you."  
  
"Would you guys please keep on driving? Because I don't know any of you so-- "  
  
He cut her off. "And is there a problem with that? We can get to know each other." The other two guys were just sitting there laughing like a bunch of idiots.  
  
"Look," said Sara. "I really don't want to get to know any of you."  
  
"Oh, you don't, eh? Well, then there might just be a problem," he said as he started getting out of the car. The other guys got out of the car, too, and came around to where he and Sara were.  
  
"What are you talking about?" asked Sara.  
  
"Baby, I didn't ask you if you wanted to get to know me. Because frankly, I really don't care," he said with a smirk. You could tell just by looking at him that he was very cocky.  
  
"Please just leave me alone," she pleaded. These guys were really making her uncomfortable.  
  
"Oh, I don't think so," he said. "You see, we're not going anywhere and we're not gonna leave you alone." Then, he grabbed her shoulders, shoved her against the side of the car and started slowly moving closer to her. Panic rushed through Sara's body. She desperately tried to move away but he had her pinned.  
  
~Oh my god. What the hell is he doing?~ she thought as his face came closer to hers. He then tried to kiss her but she turned her face so he only got her cheek. He pulled back and stared at her angrily.  
  
"What the fuck did you do that for, bitch?" he said and then he slapped her across the face. She clutched her now red cheek and tears welled up in her eyes because of the pain.  
  
"Oh what? So now you're going to cry?" he said irritably.  
  
The other two guys came over to Sara. "Aww come on, baby, don't cry," they said but then they laughed.  
  
**Meanwhile...**  
  
Raven was riding in his Genosaurer with no destination actually, when all of a sudden, from a little ways off, he heard a scream. He decided he would go check it out to see what was going on.  
  
Several minutes later, he noticed a group of people and a vehicle in the distance. Not wanting to attract attention, he got out of his Genosaurer and started walking closer to the scene.  
  
As he got even more closer, he stopped as he noticed a girl was with the group of guys. Finally, he got a good view of the girl and was suprised to see that it was Sara. He then watched as one of the guys hit her and knocked her to the ground. This pissed Raven off.  
  
**Back With Sara and The Losers(lol)**  
  
Sara was in pain. These guys were hurting her. She prayed for someone to come along and save her. Someone! Anyone at all! Just then, she heard a very familiar voice say "Leave her alone!"  
  
Sara looked up from where she layed helplessly on the ground. It was Raven. ~Thank God,~ she thought.  
  
"Who the hell are you?" asked the leader of the gang of guys.  
  
Raven didn't even answer him. "You guys are pathetic," said Raven disgusted. "I can't believe you find pleasure in hurting helpless women. Where's the fun in that?" he said as he walked closer to one of the guys. "But you know what's going to be really fun? When I beat the hell out of you losers." With that said, Raven then punched the guy in the face. The other two guys came at him, but he jabbed one of the in the gut with his elbow and the other guy attempted to punch Raven but he dodged it and punched him in the face as well.  
  
Sara watched as Raven really did beat the hell out of those guys. Finally, when the guys realized that if they stuck around any longer they would really get their asses kicked, the hoped in their car and immediately drove off.  
  
Raven watched as they drove off but then he went over and knelt down beside Sara.  
  
"Thank you, Raven! Thank you so much. You saved me once again," she said as she wrapped her arms around his neck. Raven noticed that her voice was shaky and even her body was shaking. He then picked her up in his arms and started walking off towards his Genosaurer. When he got to his zoid, he placed Sara in the backseat and then climbed in himself.  
  
"Where are we going?" she asked.  
  
"You're cut up and bruised," he said. "I know where a nearby hot spring is. I'm taking you there so you can get cleaned up."  
  
"Oh, thank you," she said.  
  
Several minutes later, they arrived at the hot spring. Raven got out of the zoid and helped Sara out. Then he walked with her over to the edge of the water.  
  
"Get undressed and get in," he said. "I'll be back in a minute."  
  
"OK," she said. Raven started walking off back towards the Genosaurer and Sara started slipping off her clothes.  
  
When Raven came back, she was already soaking in the warm water.  
  
"I got a towel that you can use when you get out," he said.  
  
"Oh, thanks," she said.  
  
"Sara?"  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"Who were those guys? Did you know them?" he asked.  
  
"No, they just drove over to me and started messing with me," she said.  
  
They were both silent for a few minutes until Sara broke it.  
  
"Raven? Would it be alright if I stayed with you again tonight?"  
  
Raven sighed irritably. "Yeah, I guess," he said. Needless to say, he did not sound too excited about it.  
  
She smiled. "Thanks."  
  
A few minutes passed and they were both silent. Finally, Sara finished bathing and wanted to get out.  
  
"Hey, Raven, will you toss me the towel?" she asked. She was still sitting in the water waiting for him to throw her the towel because she didn't want him to see her naked.  
  
He tossed her the towel and she caught it, being careful not to let it get in the water.  
  
"Raven, could you please turn your head while I wrap this towel around me?"  
  
He didn't reply but he did turn away. She quickly stood up and wrapped the towel around her.  
  
"OK, you can turn around now," she said.  
  
He turned back around and something about her caught his attention. It was something that had never really caught his eye before when he looked at other women. It was beauty. He had never noticed before how beautiful Sara really was. There she was, standing at the edge of the water, a towel wrapped around her, the ends of her hair were wet, and the sun setting around her gave a lovely touch of light that shone on her. And yet, Raven's, of all people, eyes were fixed on her because all of a sudden, she looked so beautiful.  
  
"Raven? Raven?" she said, trying to get his attention because he was staring at her.  
  
Finally, he snapped out of it. "What?" he asked as he stood up.  
  
"Where are we going to stay?"  
  
Raven looked around and noticed what looked like a small cave in the distance. "I think that's a cave over there," he said as he pointed it out to her. "We'll need to go check it out so I'm going to get in the Genosaurer and you get dressed. I'll wait for you." Then he walked off towards his zoid.  
  
Since his back was turned to Sara, she dropped the towel and quickly slipped on her clothes. Then she followed him to the Genosaurer.  
  
When they got to the cave, Raven got out and went inside to check it out. Finally, he came back to the zoid.  
  
"It looks okay. I guess we'll stay here," he said.  
  
"Alright," she said as she climbed out and went inside the cave.  
  
"I'll be right back," he said. "I have to get some logs so I can build a fire."  
  
"OK, but I'm kind of hungry. What are we going to eat?"  
  
He thought for a minute and then replied, "I think I have something in the Genosaurer. I'll see." Then he walked off.  
  
Several minutes later, he came back with a few logs. He sat them down inside the cave and started the fire with his lighter. Then he left again to see if he had any food.  
  
A few minutes later, he came back with 1 can, 2 cups, and a pot with a spoon and a stand. He set up the stand over the fire and placed the pot on the stand. He then opened the can and poured the contents of it in the pot.  
  
"It's soup," he said. "And it's all I have."  
  
"Well, that's ok. I like soup."  
  
They were both silent for a minute but then Sara spoke up.  
  
"Raven, I really appreciate everything you're doing for me. I mean, you saved me from those guys, you took me to a place where I could get cleaned up, you're letting me stay the night with you, and now you're fixing me something to eat. You didn't have to do all that, but you did anyway. And I'm very grateful for that. So...thank you."  
  
Raven was silent.  
  
"Why are you doing all this for me anyway?" she asked.  
  
He shrugged nonchalantly. "I don't know...I guess you've just kind of grown on me." He made it sound so simple. That she had simply "grown on him". It kind of disappointed Sara, but at the same time, something told her that she had done alot more than just "grown on him".  
  
They were both silent while they waited for the soup to finish cooking. Finally, it was finished and Raven took the spoon and poured soup into the cups. He kept one cup for himself and gave the other one to Sara.  
  
Once again, they were both silent as they sipped the soup from the cups. When they were finished, they took down the pot and the stand and placed those things along with the cups aside. Then Raven stood up once again.  
  
"I'm going to get some blankets," he said as he walked outside the cave.  
  
When he came back, he tossed Sara 2 blankets which she layed one out on the the ground beside the fire and wrapped the other around her. Then he layed out one of his blankets on the ground beside where Sara was, but you know, not too close to where she was, and he layed the other one out on top.  
  
They stayed up for a little while just talking about non-important stuff. Finally, they decided to go to sleep so they both layed down, covered up, and eventually fell asleep.  
  
A few hours later, still in the middle of the night, Raven woke up. He looked over at Sara who had moved halfway off her blanket and closer to him in her sleep. He watched her sleep and listened to her deep, steady breathing. She must have been having a bad dream, either that or she was still shaken up from that day's earlier events because she had a look of frustration and she was shaking. Raven reached over and gently placed his hand on her cheek. She wasn't cold so that meant she had to have been shaking because of a bad dream or something. However, just because Raven had placed his hand on her face, she calmed down. She didn't shake as much and she seemed more relaxed. He noticed this, but he still drew his hand away.  
  
Several minutes passed, and Raven was just gazing up at the ceiling of the cave, thinking. He tried to think about the Genosaurer and battle plans and such, but he couldn't. Sara just kept coming to his mind. She invaded his thoughts. Just then, he heard a small whimper come from the sleeping figure next to him. He looked over at her and was suprised to see a few tears sliding down her cheeks.  
  
~She's crying in her sleep...~ he thought. ~But why?~  
  
The sight of her crying like that really did something to Raven on the inside. It made him get this sudden urge to hold her and comfort her, but he didn't know why he felt like that. He wasn't supposed to feel like that! But yet, he did...and there was nothing he could do about it.  
  
Finally, he couldn't fight it anymore, and he gave into how he felt. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close to him. He stroked her hair and almost immediately, she stopped crying and calmed down.  
  
A minute or two later, Sara woke up as well. She was so suprised to wake up in Raven's arms. She looked at him in shock and tried to say something but she didn't know what to say.  
  
"Raven?! H-how...I mean, why...?" she stammered.  
  
Raven put a finger to her lips to silence her. "Shut up." Then he leaned in and kissed her softly on the lips. When their lips parted, Raven didn't pull away so their faces were only inches apart.  
  
Sara was stunned. "Raven...you've kissed me once before, but you said that it was an accident. I have to know...was that an accident, too?"  
  
He placed his hand on her cheek once again and smirked. "No," he said, "that was real." Then he kissed her once more, but this time it was more firm and passionate. He slowly slid his hand down her neck, across her shoulder, and down to the end of her shirt sleeve. Then he slipped his hand underneath the shirt sleeve and gently caressed her skin.  
  
Finally, they broke the kiss, and Sara wrapped her arms around his neck while he planted small, tender kisses down her neck. She placed one single kiss on his neck, and then she proceeded to run her fingers through his hair.  
  
The way he was making her feel right then was unlike anything she had ever felt before. The way he touched her literally made her shiver. It felt so right and so good that she couldn't help but let a small moan escape her lips.  
  
When he got to the bottom of her neck, he then moved his lips back up to hers, and once again covered her mouth with his. He moved his hand down to her waist and slipped his hand underneath her shirt. Then, he gently ran his fingers up and down her spine. He did this a couple of times, but during the last time, his fingers stopped at her bra strap. He began to tug at it, trying to get it unhooked. Sara noticed this and broke their kiss.  
  
"No, Raven, please," she said between breaths for air. "I'm not ready for that."  
  
He didn't respond, he just looked at her for a minute. Then, he pulled his hands out from under her shirt and wrapped his arms around her again while she wrapped her arms around him as well. There, just like that, they fell asleep in each other's arms...  
  
***********************************************************************  
  
Well, what do ya think so far?? I absolutely love this chapter! ^^ Don't ask why cuz I don't even know. lol Um...yeah, so...review? Please?? ^^ Also, I already have the basic plan for the next chapter thought up so hopefully I'll get it up soon. Hopefully is, of course, the key word there.^^ Well, I suppose that's all for now. Like I said, please review!! ^_~ 


	5. Chapter 5

You Don't Have to be Alone  
  
Chapter 5  
  
A/N: Well, folks, I can't believe it but I finally made it to the end of this story. Yep, this is the last and final chapter! And yes, this is the chapter with the lemon in it. ^^ So if you don't like lemon, I don't recommend this chapter, but I personally think this chapter is really good so maybe you could just scroll past the lemon. ^_^ lol Well, I hope you like it! ^_~  
  
**Just a little note: OK, you know that song "All the Things She Said" by TATU? Well, I love that song and I looked up the lyrics to it, and I realized that that song kinda fits Raven and Sara. Actually, it would fit Raven and anybody. lol OK, I know that song is about a girl starting to have feelings for another girl, but if it was about a guy starting to have feelings for a girl, then it would be so Raven and Sara. lol Cuz you know, in the song, it says "Yes, I've lost my mind" and if you think about it, if Raven was ever in love, he would probably think he lost his mind. lol But I'm serious! I think the song would probably be from Raven's point of view, though. OK, if you still think I'm crazy for thinking that song fits them, then just go to www.tatu.us/lyrics1.htm and see for yourself. ^_~  
  
***********************************************************************  
  
**The Next Morning After Where Chapter 4 Left Off**  
  
Sara awoke to the sun shining in her eyes. She looked over beside her, but Raven wasn't there. She sat up and looked around the cave, but he was no where to be found. She got a little worried but then she spotted him outside by his Genosaurer, so she stood up and started walking towards where Raven was.  
  
He was putting some stuff inside the Genosaurer. She walked up behind him and then stopped. "Hi, Raven."  
  
He didn't respond. He didn't even turn to look at her.  
  
~Okay...what's the matter with him?~ she thought. "Raven...what's wrong?"  
  
Again, he didn't respond.  
  
"Raven, will you just talk to me?"  
  
He turned around to face her. "Talk to you about what? About what happened last night? Well, forget it because there's nothing to talk about," he said angrily.  
  
"Nothing to talk about? Raven, I don't know if you realized it, but we made out last night! OK, you don't just do that!"  
  
"Well, obiviously, you do. Because we just did. And it didn't mean anything," he snapped.  
  
"You told me that it was real."  
  
"Oh, come on, I was half asleep, for god's sake! I didn't know what I was saying!"  
  
Sara shook her head. "I don't believe you."  
  
"What?"  
  
"I don't believe you. You knew what you were saying. You know you did. You're just trying to make an excuse. That's all you do! Every time something between us happens, you always make up some excuse to make it seem like it didn't mean anything! You just don't want to accept what's happening between us, do you?"  
  
"You don't know what you're talking about."  
  
"Yes, I do," she said firmly.  
  
"No, you don't!"  
  
They were both silent for a minute but Sara finally said something. "OK, fine. You're right. I don't know what I'm talking about. I guess I was just stupid to think that you could actually have feelings for someone. Yeah, that was a stupid idea. I mean, it's obvious you can't. You're just too scared to be in a relationship."  
  
"Too scared? I'm not scared."  
  
"Then what is it, Raven? You know what happens between us means something. I know you know it! But if you're not scared, then why do you keep running from it?"  
  
"Because--," Raven started as he slammed his fist against the Genosaurer. "Because..." For some reason, Raven couldn't say anything.  
  
"Because you're afraid." She slipped her arms around his neck and he put his arms around her waist.  
  
He sighed deeply before saying quietly, "You're right." He put his hands on her shoulders and pulled her away from him so he could look at her in the eyes. Then he ran his hands down her arms and took her hands in his.  
  
"Sara...," he started, "I can't stop thinking about you. I can't get you out of my mind. OK, and it drives me insane. I've never felt like this about anyone before. And you're right...it scares me."  
  
Sara didn't know what to say, so she leaned in and kissed him softly. "Don't be afraid," she whispered. "Because I'm feeling exactly what you're feeling. You're not the only one."  
  
He wrapped his arms around her and took her into a strong embrace once again. "Stay with me. Will you?" he whispered in her ear.  
  
"Of course I will. Because if I don't, I'd probably go crazy. I want to be with you, Raven."  
  
(a/n: I hope Raven wasn't too OOC in that scene. I tried to keep him in character, but it was really hard. If he is a bit OOC, I'm sorry! Hey, I tried my best.^^)  
  
They stayed like that, in each other's arms, for a few minutes but then Raven pulled away and said, "Come on. Let's go." At that, they both climbed into the Genosaurer and then, they were off.  
  
A little while later, Sara realized that the Imperial Army base wasn't that far off from where they were. She knew she had to tell everyone there that she would be traveling with Raven from now on, and she also knew that she needed to get some of her possesions to take with her.  
  
"Raven? The Imperial Army base is not too far off. Do you mind taking me by there so I can get some of my clothes and tell the others that I'm going to be staying with you?" she asked.  
  
"Fine," he said.  
  
Not too long after that, they arrived at the base. When Raven's zoid marched in, everyone around looked frightened, but then Sara climbed out and told them that they weren't going to hurt anyone and that she was just going to get some things, and then they'd be off. They all calmed and went back to what they were doing, although, they still kept an eye on Raven.  
  
"I won't be long, Raven," said Sara. Then she walked off to the little place where Van and Fiona stayed.  
  
When she walked in that room, Fiona rushed up to her.  
  
"Sara! Are you alright? What happened? I waited and waited for you and you never came home! But then Van kept saying that you were with Raven but I didn't know if I should believe him or not and--" Sara cut her off.  
  
"Fiona! Fiona, it's okay, I'm alright."  
  
Just then, Van walked in the room.  
  
"Sara! Where have you been?" he said.  
  
"Well, yesterday, after Fiona went back home, these guys came up to me and starting messing with me. I was so scared. I thought they were going to rape me or something but then Raven showed up and saved me."  
  
"See, Fiona? I told you she was with Raven again," said Van.  
  
"Well, I've got some news for you both. From now on, I'm going to be traveling with Raven so I'm here to get some of my clothes and say good- bye."  
  
"What? You're leaving? Raven's allowing you to stay with him?" questioned Fiona.  
  
"Well, yes. I'm sorry, it's just that...I really want to be with him."  
  
"Yes, well, I understand, Sara," said Fiona, "Although, I am going to miss you."  
  
"So will I," said Van. "I mean, I'm happy for you and all. You're getting something you wanted that seemed almost impossible to have, and I'm happy for you for that, but I will miss you, all the same."  
  
"I'll miss both of you, too," she said. "Well, I better go get my stuff together."  
  
"I'll come help," said Fiona. The two girls went to Sara's room and started gathering a few garmets.  
  
As they were both placing the clothes into a small bag, Fiona decided to ask Sara something that had been on her mind.  
  
"Sara? What's going on with you and Raven? I mean, for him to let you stay with him like this, something big must have happened last night. What was it?"  
  
"Well, he kissed me...again. But this time, it was alot more than just a kiss." As soon as she said that, Fiona's eyes grew wide. "No, no! Don't get any ideas! It wasn't anything like that!"  
  
"Oh, ok, good," said Fiona. "I just can't believe it. I mean, I think Raven really likes you."  
  
"Yeah, I think so, too," said Sara with a smile. "Or at least, I hope so."  
  
"Well, why else would he let you travel with him?"  
  
"I guess you're right," she said as she put the last garmet into the bag. "Well, I guess I'm ready to go."  
  
Sara and Fiona headed for the door when Sara noticed something on her dresser. "Oh, my favorite necklace," she said as she grabbed it. "I don't want to forget this." The necklace was a silver chain with a blue "S" outlined in silver. The "S" stood for "Sara", of course.  
  
Sara bid everyone farewell and then she was off to start her travels with Raven--a person she never thought she'd be basically living with. She was a little nervous about staying with him all the time, but at the same time, she was excited and happy.  
  
The next few weeks with Raven were fairly enjoyable for Sara. Of course, Raven did lose his temper sometimes and say some mean things, but Sara knew that he never mean it.  
  
Shadow actually put up with her okay. He never once tried to hurt her or anything. She was grateful for that because at first, she was a little apprehensive about being close to Shadow. Although, after a while, she had no problem with it.  
  
Usually, they would stay in one area for a few days. During the day, Raven would go off to train. Sometimes he would take the Genosaurer with him, and sometimes he wouldn't. Sara learned alot about the Genosaurer and how it worked, so whenever Raven didn't take the Genosaurer with him to train, she would check up on it and make sure everything was in working order. Also, she would watch Shadow and sometimes walk to a nearby village to pick up some food. After a few days in one area, they would travel to somewhere else. One night while Raven and Sara were sitting around a fire in a cave(a/n: always a cave! lol), Raven said something that was very striking and made Sara feel a little uncomfortable. Somehow, the topic of killing came up and Sara was asking Raven how he was able to just kill people like it was nothing.  
  
"I don't know," he said, "Some people's lives just don't seem important to me."  
  
"I still don't see how you can say that. I could never kill anyone. I wouldn't be able to stand it," she said.  
  
"Such innocence," he said and with a smirk, he added, "But not for long."  
  
"Huh? W--What do you mean?"  
  
"What I mean is that you won't be so innocent for long. Soon, something is going to happen, and then, well let's just say that you won't be so innocent anymore."  
  
What he said definitely made her more nervous and cautious around him because she knew what that "something is going to happen" meant. Yes, she knew what that "something" was. (a/n: ^_^ lol Ok, I'm gonna stop with the little author's notes.^^)  
  
She spent the next few days wondering if Raven was really serious. If he really meant what he said. A person really can't tell if he's serious or not because his facial expressions don't change much, so Sara didn't know what to think. But then one night, a few weeks later, he confirmed her suspicions...  
  
They were sitting by the fire, as usual, just talking. But then there was this awkward silence between them. Sara was staring at the fire, just thinking, when she noticed out of the corner of her eye that Raven was looking at her. She turned to him and their eyes met. They stared into each other's eyes for a few seconds, and then, Raven slowly leaned in and kissed her softly. The kiss was brief and when he pulled away, he stared into her eyes once more. They were silent for several more seconds, but then, Raven leaned in again and kissed her once again, but this time it was more firm.  
  
Sara shyly wrapped her arms around his neck as he grabbed her by her shoulders and gently laid her down on the blankets. He moved to where he was on top of her and their lips parted for a brief instant, but they soon met once more. Raven let his tongue slide across her lips as if waiting for her to let him in. Not wanting to keep him waiting, she parted her lips just enough to allow his tongue to slip in, exploring and teasing the inside her mouth.  
  
As this was happening, Raven's hands decided to do a little exploring themselves. Sara was so caught up in their extremely passionate and wild kiss that she didn't even notice when all of their clothes were removed, and truth be told, she probably didn't care.  
  
Raven traced his fingers across her smooth skin; his touch sending shivers down Sara's spine. His hand slowly slide down her sides, but stopping to take the time to caress and feel her ample breasts, but then continuing on down her abdomen. Just as they broke their kiss to catch their breath, his hands stopped at her hips, and he then pushed her legs apart.  
  
Sara inhaled sharply as she knew what he was going to do next. Sure enough, he plunged into her and she moaned loudly in pain. She began to whimper, but then he softly caressed her cheek and whispered comforting words in her ear to calm her.  
  
Soon, the pain subsided, and he kissed her again just as he began to move in and out in a motion that's not even explainable. Again, she moaned loudly, but this time, it was in pleasure. Her vision began to blur and became fuzzy as she lost all sense of what was going on around her and went through her first climax.  
  
Then, the immense pleasure she was feeling soon began to die down as he rolled off of her. Now laying beside her, Raven wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close to him. They were both panting, and he gave her, as well as himself, some time to catch their breath before saying something he had been wanting to say.  
  
He lifted her chin up so that their eyes met. "Well, what did I tell you? You're not so innocent anymore, now are you?" he whispered.  
  
She stared deep into his lavender eyes for a moment, but then she smiled and closed her eyes as she drifted off to sleep. Soon, Raven fell asleep as well. They were both drenched in sweat, but it didn't bother them. They were in each other's arms...and at that time, that was all that mattered. The world could be coming down around them, but they wouldn't even notice because they had each other...and right then, that was all that mattered.  
  
The next few days went by and they were pleasant. Sara kept thinking about that night. She couldn't believe that she had slept with Raven. For some reason, it just seemed so impossible. It's just that, in the beginning, that's not what she wanted. She just wanted him to care about her the way she cared for him. ....Oh, who am I kidding? You know that secretly, that's what she wanted. I mean, we are talking about Raven here. What kind of girl wouldn't want a chance with him? ^_~  
  
One night, while Sara was sleeping, Raven was awake reflecting on the past events and how he really felt about Sara. He looked over at her and for some reason, her necklace with the "S" on it caught his attention. Sure, he had noticed it before but this was the first time he ever just stopped to look at it. He thought it was so strange that she had a necklace like that because he had one that was similar. Of course, his was a guy necklace, he wore it under his shirt, and his had a "R" instead of a "S". Also, his looked a little bit different because it was on a black string and the "R" was black outlined in silver. He pulled it out from under his shirt, removed it from around his neck, and looked at it. He remembered when he first got it. Prozen gave it to him when Raven was about 13 years old. He still doesn't see the point in getting the necklace, but Prozen said that Raven should have a trademark and the necklace would be perfect. Of course, the necklace never became Raven's trademark because he thought it was stupid, but he still kept it for whatever reason.  
  
Raven's thoughts soon went back to Sara. He knew that soon, there would be some rough battles going on and he didn't want her to be a part of it. He didn't know what to do. He didn't want to tell her to leave, and knowing her, she probably wouldn't anyway. Then a thought came to him...a thought saying to leave her. But no, he couldn't do that...could he?  
  
He thought about it more and decided that maybe it was the best thing. But what about when she wakes up and she's all alone? What then? He thought about that, too. He decided that the Imperial Army base wasn't that far from where they were now and maybe she could get a ride there.  
  
That's it. He made his decision. He was going to leave and he was going to that very night. Quietly, so as not to wake the sleeping Sara, he got up and gathered his belongings. Of course, he did leave the blankets Sara was sleeping with.  
  
He was just about to leave when he thought of something. He looked at his necklace in his hand and looked back at Sara. He sat his stuff down and walked over beside her. He knelt down and carefully slipped her necklace off from around her neck and then put his necklace around her neck. He figured that this way, she wouldn't be so upset when she woke up. Then, he softly kissed her cheek, stood up, and left with her necklace in hand.  
  
The new morning, Sara woke up and looked around. Of course, she was alone. When she finally realized that he had left her, she felt tears form in her eyes. They began to slide down her cheeks and she did nothing to stop them. She buried her face in the blankets and just cried.  
  
Why did he leave her there all alone? What had she done? Was he just sick of her or did he do this for his own reasons? All these questions raced through her mind, and the worst thing was, she had no answers for any of them.  
  
She didn't really know what to do, but she did the only she knew to do. She walked. She had no idea where she was headed, but at that time, she didn't care. More tears streamed down her cheeks as she walked, and she probably was a mess, but she didn't care. She was so upset, she didn't care about anything.  
  
She walked for days, but of course, stopping every once in a while to rest. She had no food and she was starving. She would ask passerbys for a lift to the Imperial Army base and some food, and no one ever gave her a ride, but sometimes she would get a little bit of food. It wasn't ever much, but at least it was something.  
  
A few days later, Sara was rescued. She had just been walking when all of a sudden, by either a miracle or just plain luck, a very familiar Gustav pulled up beside her. She looked over at it and was overcome with joy when she saw Moonbay, Fiona, Van, and Irivine inside.  
  
As soon as they all noticed it was Sara, they immediately stopped and jumped out of the Gustav.  
  
"Sara! Is it really you?" said Moonbay as she ran up to her, along with everyone else.  
  
"What happened? Why are you out here all alone?" questioned Fiona. Sara could tell she was filled with worry.  
  
"It was Raven, wasn't it?" said Van, anger already building up inside him.  
  
"Everyone, please, just calm down a second and let me explain," said Sara, and trying to hold back her tears, she explained what happened.  
  
"That bastard!" exclaimed Irvine at hearing that.  
  
"I can't believe Raven just left you like that!" said Van.  
  
"Yeah, I know what you mean," said Moonbay to Van. "But, if you think about it, that is very Raven-like."  
  
Fiona looked at Sara and noticed that her head was bent down and her bangs covered her eyes. Fiona knew Sara was very upset. She walked over to her and wrapped her arms around her for comfort. Sara leaned her head on Fiona's shoulder and silently cried some more.  
  
"It's going to be alright, Sara," she said reassuringly. Fiona sure was a good friend. "Come on, let's you get you back home."  
  
"Back home? You mean to the base?" asked Van.  
  
"Yes. Is that ok? I just think she needs to get cleaned up and get some rest."  
  
Van understood. "Sure, Fiona. That's fine."  
  
When they all got to the base, Sara got cleaned up, fed, and even got a good night's rest. And although her normal human needs were satisfied, her heart definitely was not.  
  
The next day, while they were all riding in the Gustav, Sara had on a headset and was listening to the song "Angel" by Amanda Perez. She had become very fond of that song because it really described how she felt. (a/n: For the lyrics to that song, copy and paste this URL into your browser: )  
  
Fiona glanced over at Sara and noticed something. "Hey, Sara."  
  
Sara, seeing that Fiona was trying to tell her something, took off the headset.  
  
"Where's your necklace?" Fiona asked.  
  
"What do you mean? It's right here around my neck," she said as she pointed to her neck.  
  
"That's not your necklace."  
  
Sara became confused so she touched the necklace, and noticing that it was string and not a metal chain, she quickly took it off. Her eyes grew wide as she examined the necklace she was holding in her hand.  
  
"You're right. This isn't my necklace. Look, Fiona. It's a 'R'," she said showing the necklace to her friend.  
  
"You don't think...?" She didn't finish her sentence.  
  
"No. It couldn't be...could it?"  
  
"I don't know. I mean, he did leave you pretty abrubtly(sp?) and without a trace. But maybe...maybe he left you this."  
  
"Do you really think so? But wait a minute! Where's my necklace?"  
  
Fiona shrugged. "Maybe he took it with him."  
  
"How dare he take my necklace!"  
  
Fiona laughed a little. "Now, wait a minute, Sara. Look at what he did. You have this necklace with a 'R' on it, which must stand for 'Raven', which means that this is his. And your necklace with a 'S' for your name is gone, which means he must have taken it with him. Don't you see what he did? He took your necklace to remember you and left you his so you would remember him."  
  
"Really? Do you really think that's what he did?"  
  
"Well, there's no other possible explanation for it."  
  
"Hmm...maybe you're right," she said as she took the necklace back and put it around her neck. "Well, I'll certainly remember him."  
  
A few weeks later, Sara started having what she and the others believed as morning sickness, which was definitely not a good sign. Fiona took her to the doctor for a pregnancy test, and to everyone's dismay, it turned out positive. At first, she wondered how she got pregnant, but then she remembered that night and that Raven probably wasn't wearing protection. You know, he's kinda irresponsible. (lol)  
  
She couldn't believe it. She had no idea what she was going to do. Sara was so upset that she spent the next few nights crying herself to sleep. There she was, pregnant, all alone except for her friends, and to top it all off, she was young. She was only 18, and in her book, that's too young to have a baby.  
  
Several months had passed and Sara's pregnant stomach was growing larger and larger. No one had seen or even heard anything about Raven. They thought they should contact him and let him know what was going on, but no one could come in contact with him.  
  
Finally, the day came where Sara had to go into labor. They still tried to locate Raven, but had no luck in finding him.  
  
Well, Sara gave birth to a beautiful baby girl. She had actually wanted a boy just incase Raven came back. She thought he might want a son to follow in his footsteps or something like that. But alas, she had a little girl.  
  
She was scared. She had no idea how to raise a baby, but Fiona and Moonbay reassured her that they would do all they could to help. Yes, she really did have great friends.  
  
The next few weeks were pretty tough. The baby, whom she named Amber because of her beautiful amber colored eyes, cried every night, waking them all up. Thankfully, little Amber was usually a good baby and only cried when it was absolutely necessary. ^_^ Therefore, she wasn't too much of a hassle to everyone.  
  
Well, a few weeks later, the final battle against Hiltz and Prozen began. Oh course, Van, Irvine, and Thomas were fighting. Sara, Fiona, and Moonbay watched on from a distance. Sara was suprised when Raven showed up and even more suprised when he started fighting on Van's side.  
  
(a/n: OK, I can't remember if Thomas fought in the final battle or not. I believe he did but it's been a really long time since I've seen those episodes, so forgive me if I'm wrong.^^)  
  
That's when a little ways off, closer to the battle than where Sara was, she noticed a woman sitting atop a ver familiar organoid. The woman had short, blue hair and the organoid was black. She knew instantly that it was Shadow, but she wondered who the woman was. Sara decided she wanted to go find out. She asked Fiona and Moonbay to watch over little Amber while she went to go talk to that woman.  
  
"Hello," said Sara when she came up beside the woman.  
  
She didn't respond.  
  
"Um...I noticed that you're sitting on Shadow, Raven's organoid, and I was just wondering if you know Raven."  
  
Finally, the woman turned to look at her. "Yes, I know him. I've been traveling with him."  
  
That statement definitely took Sara by suprise. ~Oh my God,~ she thought, ~Does Raven love this woman?~ "Traveling with him? What do you mean?"  
  
"Well, I mean, I've been traveling with him," she said, but then she quickly changed the subject. "Who are you anyway?"  
  
"My name is Sara."  
  
The woman's eyes grew wide. "Sara! You're that girl! I can't believe it! You're the girl that Raven has so much feelings for."  
  
"Wha-? Wait, 'has so much feelings for'? You mean, you and Raven aren't together?"  
  
"No. I just travel with him. But to tell you the truth, I did try to hit it off with him, but whenever I tried, he always either pushed me away or avoided me," she said.  
  
"So Raven's talked about me?"  
  
"Well, yes and no. You see, I saw the necklace with the 'S' on it, and knowing that his name certainly didn't start with a S, I asked him what it stood for. He told me it stood for Sara. I asked him who Sara was and he said, and I quote: 'She's a woman I know. A woman who showed me a completely different side to everything'. Then, I said, 'So you're in love with her?' And he replied with, 'You could say that'. That's when I knew why he always avoided me whenever I tried anything. He already had feelings for someone else."  
  
Sara was speechless. "Wow...I can't believe he said that."  
  
"Yeah, well, I'm not making this stuff up," she said.  
  
"Well, I need to get back up there where my friends are," said Sara, and then she added with a small laugh, "There's a little baby girl up there who's probably pitching a fit right now. See ya!" Then she started walking off.  
  
~Baby?~ thought the woman. ~Raven never mentioned a baby. Hmm...well, maybe it's not even her baby.~  
  
Just then, Sara stopped and turned back around. "Hey!" she called to the woman. "I never even got your name."  
  
She smiled and said, "Reese. It's Reese."  
  
"OK, well, I hope to talk to you again, Reese! Bye!" With that, she went back to where Fiona and Moonbay were.  
  
Well, the battle went on and it was long and strenuous. There were times when they almost didn't think Van and the gang could win, but they always had hope. When finally, after many long hours, the winners prevailed. They were Van, Irvine, Thomas, and of course, Raven. Prozen and Hiltz were finally defeated!  
  
Everyone was filled with joy. Even Raven wore a genuine smile. Fiona and Moonbay rushed to the others, but Sara stayed behind a little ways. She was very excited over their victory, but for some reason, she just didn't want to be a part in the big commotion that was going on.  
  
Reese came up to Raven and congratulated him. Then she told him what had happened during the battle.  
  
"I talked to someone very interesting," she said. "She said her name was...Sara."  
  
Raven's eyes grew wide. "Sara? You talked to her?"  
  
"Yes. She's still here; I know she is. See? She's standing right over there," said Reese as she pointed to where Sara was. "I really think you should go talk to her. I mean, on the outside, she looked happy, but I could tell that she was very upset on the inside."  
  
Raven, then, took off running over to Sara. She was probably very upset at him and he wanted so badly to explain everything to her.  
  
"Wait! Raven! I didn't finish!" called Reese. Seeing that Raven wasn't stopping, she ran off after him.  
  
"Sara!" he said when he finally got to her. "Look, I know you're upset, but let me explain."  
  
"Oh, Raven...look at what is in my arms."  
  
"A b-baby?"  
  
"Yes, a baby. Your baby! Our baby, Raven!" Tears started coming to her eyes.  
  
Just then, Reese came up beside them. "Raven, I think she has a baby!" Then she looked to Sara who was about to cry and the small baby in her arms. "Oh...you already know?"  
  
"Wait...are you sure?" Raven asked Sara.  
  
"Yeah, Raven, there's a baby in her arms, but you know, it just appeared there one day! Yeah, let me tell ya about it!" Reese blurted out sarcastically.  
  
"Shut up, Reese. You know, I'm looking around and I don't see anyone who asked for your opinion," Raven snapped.  
  
"Yeah, well, no one has to ask my opinion! I can say whatever I want and whenever I want!"  
  
"You guys! Please!" exclaimed Sara. Raven and Reese both stopped arguing. (a/n: lol, Raven and Reese always argue. I mean, it's like another Bulma and Vegeta(dbz) ^^ lol)  
  
"Sara...is this really...my child?" asked Raven.  
  
"Yes," she said.  
  
"Hmm...well, I can see you two need to talk this through, so I'm just gonna go over there," said Reese as she walked off.  
  
Raven put his hands over his face but then pulled them away. "I can't believe this."  
  
"Yeah, well, neither could I. But I do now because this baby is real! She's not an illusion! She's a real live baby and she's ours."  
  
"She?"  
  
"Yes, it's a girl and I named her Amber. I hope that name is ok with you," she said, but then suddenly, her attitude changed. "No, you know what? I don't care if it's ok with you because you weren't there when she was born so you have no say-so in her name whatsoever. Let's see, where were you...oh that's right. I don't know because you left me! All alone!"  
  
Raven could tell she was mad and he figured she was very mad because he had never heard her talk like that before. He put his hands on her shoulders and looked her straight in the eyes. "Listen, I know I left you. And maybe that wasn't such a smart thing to do, but at the time, I thought it was. I thought it was the right thing because I knew there were going to be some tough times coming up and I-I...I just didn't want you to get hurt."  
  
More tears formed in her eyes. "Raven, I understand that you just wanted me to be safe, but all you had to do was tell me. I mean, maybe you thought that wouldn't work, but you should have at least tried instead of just leaving me by myself."  
  
Tears began sliding down her cheeks and her voice became shaky. "I was so afraid...and alone. I had no idea where I was, and the worst thing was I didn't know why you left me. I thought...I thought you didn't want to be with me anymore. And then when I found out I was pregnant, that made everything worse. We tried to track you down and come in contact with you, but we always failed. That's when I thought that maybe you really didn't want to have anything to do with me."  
  
He placed his hands on the sides of her face and wiped away one of her tears with his thumb. "No. No, that's not true. Why else would I have traded our necklaces? I did that so you wouldn't forget about...about me. And so I wouldn't forget about you. Look, if it makes you feel any better, I-I'm...sorry."  
  
She looked at him through her teary eyes. "Well, I forgive you, but it's the worst feeling...being alone. Thinking that you were never coming back. You don't know what it's like to be all alone, do you?"  
  
He took her into a strong embrace. "Yes, I do," he whispered in her ear. "And don't worry, I'm not going anywhere now. You don't have to be alone."  
  
She closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around him. "And neither do you, Raven. Neither do you."  
  
THE END  
  
***********************************************************************  
  
OMG, it's over! Yes, folks, it really is over. ;_; I'm just gonna miss writing it! lol...Anyway, I hope Raven wasn't too OOC at the end, but if you remember that at the end of the series, Raven really does settle down a bit and change his attitude. I mean, after the battle, we only see Raven for a few minutes but I could still tell that he was changed. I mean, he smiled, for god's sake! lol Well, I hope y'all enjoyed this fic! Thanks so much for all the great and nice reviews! ^_~ I really appreciate it! Also, a big sorry for the amount of time it took me to post each chapter and for keeping y'all waiting so long to read the next chapter each time. ^^;;; I really am sorry! Anyways...until next time, ja ne! ^_~ 


End file.
